e
towched to zou before. For oure Lord God made the erthe alle round, in the
mydde place of the firmament. And there as mountaynes and hilles ben, and
valeyes, that is not but only of Noes flode, that wasted the softe ground
and the tendre, and felle doun into valeyes: and the harde erthe, and the
roche abyden mountaynes, whan the soft erthe and tendre wax nessche,
throghe the water, and felle and becamen valeyes.

Of Paradys, ne can not I speken propurly: for I was not there. It is fer
bezonde; and that forthinkethe me: and also I was not worthi. But as I have
herd seye of wyse men bezonde, I schalle telle zou with gode wille. Paradys
terrestre, as wise men seyn, is the highest place of erthe, that is in alle
the world: and it is so highe, that it touchethe nyghe to the cercle of the
mone, there as the mone makethe hire torn. For sche is so highe, that the
flode of Noe ne myght not come to hire, that wolde have covered alle the
erthe of the world alle aboute, and aboven and benethen, saf Paradys only
allone. And this Paradys is enclosed alle aboute with a walle; and men wyte
not wherof it is. For the walles ben covered alle over with mosse; as it
semethe. And it semethe not that the walle is ston of nature. And that
walle strecchethe fro the southe to the northe; and it hathe not but on
entree, that is closed with fyre brennynge; so that no man, that is
mortalle, ne dar not entren. And in the moste highe place of Paradys, evene
in the myddel place, is a welle, that castethe out the 4 flodes, that
rennen be dyverse londes: of the whiche, the first is clept Phison or
Ganges, that is alle on: and it rennethe thorghe out Ynde or Emlak: in the
whiche ryvere ben manye preciouse stones, and mochel of lignum aloes, and
moche gravelle of gold. And that other ryvere is clept Nilus or Gyson, that
gothe be Ethiope, and aftre be Egypt. And that other is clept Tigris, that
rennethe be Assirye and be Armenye the grete. And that other is clept
Eufrate, that rennethe also be Medee and be Armonye and be Persye. And men
there bezonde seyn, that alle the swete watres of the world aboven and
benethen, taken hire begynnynge of the welle of Paradys: and out of that
welle, alle watres comen and gon. The firste ryvere is clept Phison, that
is to seyne in hire langage, Assemblee: for many other ryveres meten hem
there, and gon in to that ryvere. And sum men clepen it Ganges; for a kyng
that was in Ynde, that highte Gangeres, and that it ran thorg